T.J. Brodie (right) of the Calgary Flames carries the puck as the Ducks' Bobby Ryan chases during on Friday at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. DEREK LEUNG, GETTY IMAGES

CALGARY – Teemu Selanne doesn't want to come out of the Ducks lineup and rarely skips an optional practice or day-game morning skate to rest his 42-year-old body.

But with a little prompting from Coach Bruce Boudreau, Selanne did opt to sit out his first game of the season Friday night. His Ducks teammates went out and took a 3-1 loss to the Flames.

Boudreau has occasionally rested his more seasoned players and wanted Selanne to choose one of the three games on this trip to take a seat. The winger said it was ultimately his call.

"It's hard because I still like to play every night," said Selanne, whose 674 goals are 11th on the NHL's all-time list. "Pretty much before the start of the playoffs, (Bruce) said you have to take one game off. That's fine. But the mind process ... it's hard.

"Bruce is good. He told me, 'I'm not going to force you. I know you. But I want you to take one game off.' I'm a little sore too. Let's see how I feel."

Said Boudreau: "He's a little tired. He was sore. I just said, 'T, it's up to you.' You've earned that right. If you want to do it, to rest a game, then I think it would be a good time to rest."

Selanne said the situation is similar to when defenseman Sheldon Souray rested a couple of times this season after consulting with Boudreau. He said there were other times earlier when he could have sat a game but opted against it.

The rest might have been long coming. Selanne has slumped after a hot start to the lockout-shortened season. He had two four-point games, including one on opening night in Vancouver, but has just five goals and one assist since March 1.

Most notably, Selanne was dropped from his customary second-line spot in Wednesday night's loss against Columbus and played against the Blue Jackets' third and fourth lines.

It was a sight unseen and a spot one could hardly imagine a Hall of Fame-bound winger would be in, but Selanne wasn't going to turn it into a major issue.

"It's not fun but it's not a big deal," Selanne said. "The first 20 games, I was playing 18 minutes a game. The last 20 have been 12, 13 minutes. That's not enough.

"It's hard to play less. But maybe it's a good thing because when the playoffs start, you'll be fresh."

What Selanne isn't denying is that he hasn't exactly earned loads of ice time. His struggles have been equally because he's not creating plays and not having a regular center alongside him on the second line.

In 43 games, Selanne has 11 goals, 12 assists and a minus-10 rating that's the worst on the Ducks. Twelve of his 23 points came in the first 11 games.

"It's funny how it has been working," he said. "It seems to me like every time when we go out there, the other teams have scored. A lot of goals, there's nothing you can do about it but it's still frustrating.

"And when it's the last five minutes, you know it's going to be the line that (Bruce) trusts most. And our line hasn't been that."

FOWLER RETURNS

Cam Fowler was back in the lineup after sitting the past two games because of an upper-body muscle injury. Fowler got an assist on Corey Perry's third-period goal and played nearly 22 minutes.

The defenseman hurt himself during the first period April 10 against Colorado and did not return.

"I think we've come a long way in the past few days," Fowler said. "It's one of those things where you have to give it time. You don't want it to get worse and worse.

"It doesn't take a whole lot to throw you off. I had good people around me helping me."

Fellow defenseman Luca Sbisa, who has a lower-body injury, isn't ready but could be available for either Sunday's game against Edmonton or Monday's back-to-back contest with the Oilers if he doesn't suffer a setback.

EMERGENCY RECALL

Igor Bobkov was recalled from Norfolk (AHL) on an emergency basis and was the backup to starter Jonas Hiller. Viktor Fasth is tending to a minor lower-body injury.

"Viktor's fine if we wanted him," Boudreau said. "He practiced this morning. He said he's almost 100 percent but one day would be fine."

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.